In New Literacies, by Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel, I resonated with the concept of writing as a remixed medium. Writing can be so intimidating to a variety of students, including those with language disabilities or speaking English as a second language. If we expand our concept of writing to include sound and video, imagery and other repurposed objects, we can connect with a wider student base.
I was also particularly interested in two points made in Peppler's text. Firstly, there are many online communities that make sharing art easy. With huge user bases on sites like DeviantArt and even Facebook, there is an undeniable young artist culture on the Internet. Educators stand to learn so much from this culture, which taps into uniquely personal (and often anonymous) creativities that students may not have felt comfortable sharing in the classroom.
Secondly, Peppler speaks about comics and manga as a potentially meaningful exploration in the classroom. It is reasonable to say that most children garner an interest in either subject as they get older; a fellow classmate in our cohort mentioned that most of her 4th grade students knew only one way to make a face, in the style of an anime character. The obsessions that can emerge are not necessarily conducive to exploration; however, it seems mindful to acknowledge this popular art form. There may be opportunities to discuss cultural styles and historical nuances in the Japanese art.
I think you make a great point about facilitating student engagement through multiple types of media for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities may connect in different ways with video, sound, coding, etc.
ReplyDeleteI also believe social media is a great place for students to learn about art. While popular art may be mainstream, it shows students potentials of different media.